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Transformers (2007) More at IMDbPro »

The following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.

For detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for Transformers can be found here.

Transformers are fictional, sentient alien robots and the title characters of a popular Hasbro toy line and its spin-offs. Coming from the planet Cybertron, the Transformers are divided into two factions, the heroic Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, and the evil Decepticons, almost always led by Megatron. They are able to "transform", rearranging their bodies into common or innocuous forms, including vehicles (the most commonly known form), devices or animals. They can displace mass (i.e. shrink and expand), combine with one another, and apply synthetic flesh. This ability to transform is reflected in the programs' taglines "More Than Meets the Eye" and "Robots in Disguise". All Transformers stories and characters, in a range of media, have been based around this core concept since their debut in 1984.

Transformers (called Cybertronians as a species name) have their own civilization and customs, which has generally existed for a very long time (tens of millions of years). In fact, many Transformers themselves are millions of years old, having extremely long life spans and power reserves. They are usually depicted as being born from 'protoforms' (blank shells) and after being given Spark (their life force) they develop into their own bodies and age via upgrades. Despite being robots, they do show cases of 'sexual dimorphism' in that there are Transformers with distinctly 'male' and 'female' traits (and some individuals even form romantic relationships).

Transformers is actually based on the Transformers toy series. The Transformer toyline gained popularity in the 1980s as toys that could be transformed from vehicles, animals, and other devices into various action figures. Based on the popularity of the Transformer toyline, there have been a number of spinoffs, such as several comic books series, animated movies, and even a TV series Transformers (1984-1987). Transformers is a live action adaption of the Transformers franchise by director Michael Bay. It is followed by a sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen due for release in June 2009.

AUTOBOTS

Optimus Prime - Peterbilt 379 Semi Truck, a modernized version of his G1 mode.

Bumblebee - 1976 Chevrolet Camaro, later reformatted as the 2008-2009 model of the same vehicle, both of which are original to the movie.

Jazz - an original to the movie modified hardtop Pontiac Solstice.

Ironhide - GMC Topkick Pickup Truck, original to the movie.

Ratchet - Hummer H2 designed to look like an emergency vehicle, taken from "Transformers: Armada".

DECEPTICONS

Megatron - Alien/Cybertronian jet, a version that appears to be entirely unique for the character.

Starscream - F-22 Raptor Fighter Jet, a modernized version of his G1 mode.

Blackout - MH-53 Pave Low Helicopter, from "Transformers: Energon".

Barricade - Saleen-Modified Ford Mustang Police Cruiser, original to the movie.

Frenzy - 2-speaker CD player and then later a mobile phone, both of which are original to the movie.

Bonecrusher - Buffalo H Mine-Protected Vehicle, also original to the movie.

Scorponok - Mechanical Scorpion, taken from "Beast Wars: Transformers" (note: Skorponok is not seen transforming between his scorpion and robot form, however the Hasbro toy does have a robot mode.

Brawl (credited as 'Devastator' on film) - Modified M1 Abrams Battle Tank, his original mode comes from Generation 1.

NEUTRALS (made with cube's energy and all original to the film)

Sector 7:

*Glen Whitmann's mobile phone*

Sam Witwicky:

*X-box 360*

*Cadillac Escalade* (seen only while transforming) Named Stockade in the Toy line

*Mountain Dew Vending Machine* (Named Dispensor)

Barricade was damaged by Bumblebee. After he had repaired himself, he answered the Decepticons call during the final battle, but he disappears after the freeway scene. In the novel adaption, Barricade was taken down by Optimus Prime right after he destroyed Bonecrusher. The reason why this scene wasn't included in the film is unclear.

In the movie's sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Barricade was never seen or mentioned in the movie so it is still unknown of his disappearance.

Several reasons have been given for Bumblebee changing from a Beetle to a Camaro:

1.) Producers couldn't get rights from Volkswagen to use a Beetle as Volkswagen didn't want their product being associated with a violent film.

2.) Director Michael Bay told Wired Magazine he made the change because he wanted the mass of the Transformers in robot form to be believable compared to their vehicle form. Thus a Beetle would have resulted in Bumblebee being much smaller in robot form.

3.) Bay wanted to avoid comparisons to Herbie the Love Bug, and that he felt that Bumblebee needed an updated look.

4.) With the exception of Optimus Prime, ALL Autobots are General Motors vehicles. (GMC, Hummer, Pontiac, & Chevy)

Early on in the film, we briefly see the new Bumblebee next to what is described as 'an old 1971 VW Beetle' in a nod to his past. Sam has to choose between the old yellow Beetle and the Camaro, but of course chooses the Camaro.

It's interesting to note that the Beetle in the film is actually a 1973-1977 VW Super Beetle, a very different model than the common Beetle.

It is stated by Simmons that Earth technology was reversed engineered from studying Megatron, thus when the cell phone and other objects are created, they in turn are Decepticons. Kind of like Megatron's children.

Another explanation could be that rather than becoming Decepticons, they become simply primitive, wild mechanical creatures based purely on instinct.

The writers have stated that the laser Ratchet fired at Bumblebee's throat halfway through the film took a while to take effect. Another theory is that Bumblebee's voice is fixed after he touches the Allspark, when he goes to compact it into the smaller cube he gets a "jolt" or a "shock". This is the most logical explanation, as Frenzy's body (the small stereo robot) becomes fully regenerated when he comes into contact with the Allspark. Though he doesn't speak at all from this point until the very end of the film, just using his radio and beeps. In the sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Bumblebee still appears to be unable to speak. Although Sam Witwicky explains that he's just "playing it off".

Scorponok's ending was never told. He just went underground to hide and repair himself. Scorponok appeared in Transformers Revenge of the Fallen and briefly battles with Jetfire.

According to Robert Orci, Jazz was chosen to die because they couldn't kill Optimus or Bumblebee, and Jazz was the next Autobot most likely to be cared about by the audience. Also, with the exception of Bumblebee, Jazz was the only Autobot small enough to be ripped apart by Megatron. Besides, it would'nt have been fair if only the Decepticons were the only ones getting killed, therefore atleast one Autobot had to die.

According to Robert Orci on Transformersmovie.com, Maggie Madsen (Rachael Taylor) and Glen Whitmann (Anthony Anderson) may not have been necessary for seasoned Transformers fans, but their characters were needed for "a story mechanism to explain certain things in a deliberately paced manner" for those unacquainted with the Transformers mythos.

The official names of all the Transformers seen in the film were confirmed in August of 2006, nearly a year before the film's North American release date. However, director Michael Bay was not fully aware of these names and sometimes referred to some of them by their "on-set names" -- For example, he said in an interview that he often referred to Frenzy as "Soundbyte". Thus, on-set he would refer to the tank Decepticon as "Devastator". Somehow, the name made its way into the final cut of the film. When Starscream calls all the Decepticons into action, they all give their names and status in Cybertronian, which is translated through subtitles on-screen. The tank apparently says "Devastator reporting...".

It was not fixed, despite recognition of the error by the writers of the film and Hasbro. Writer Roberto Orci even stated that "Devastator" was the mistake and that the tank was supposed to be named "Brawl" all along. This is supported by the fact that every single toy based on the character, is titled as 'Brawl' and even the video-game adaption of the movie, has his name is spoken aloud (as opposed to simply being presented as a subtitle for the film itself) and he is referred to by the name 'Brawl'. The comic series, The Reign Of Starscream even 'remakes' the scene where the Decepticons mobilize, with the character in question saying ''Brawl reporting...''.

The name Devastator was actually the name of the giant robot that all six of the Constructicons in the original animated series and toyline would combine together to form. The fact that one of the Constructicons in the original series was named "Bonecrusher", which was the name of one of the Decepticons featured in the film, only added to the confusion.

Afterwards, Bay even stated that he preferred "Devastator" to "Brawl" as it sounded more threatening, and more suitable for a Decepticon.

As the combiner (i.e., the real) Devastator is appearing in the sequel, it could be said Brawl *is* his real name and he just called himself 'Devastator' for the same reason that Michael Bay gave. Although, since we know close to nothing about Cybertronian naming conventions (for all we know, the name "Devastator" could in fact be very popular on Cybertron, like the names "John" and "William" are here on Earth) it is possible for two different characters to share the same name.

This is unknown. One theory is that he said "I shall return!!", since he usually said that in the show. It Is possible that he sent a signal to all Decepticons in space, just as Optimus did at the end. Another theory is that he said, "I'm running out of time!"

The Transformers have incredibly sophisticated software meaning there is no logical reason why they couldn't scan books or databases then breakdown and learn the language in minutes, the same would apply from hearing English being spoken. All a Transformer would need to learn a language is a sample of sufficient size and enough time for his software to work it out which would take minutes or possibly hours depending on the amount of computing power available to the Transformer and possibly the complexity of the language.

An explanation is explicitly provided in the graphic novel adaption. Megatron, whilst frozen, was conscious and could hear the scientists and engineers examining him. Meaning that once he awoke, he was perfectly capable of speaking English. It is even vaguely implied in the movie that he could hear them; his first words upon awakening being an exclamation of his name (as opposed to being called 'N.B.E-01' or 'Ice-Man').

Note: The Autobots and Decepticons probably have some sort of wi-fi receiver, much like we have bluetooth. So they are likely able to receive radio waves, internet signals, cellular waves, etc. without an access point. As Optimus says "We have learned Earth's languages through the 'World Wide Web'." Seeing as how they landed on Earth and went directly to meet Bumblebee, it's unlikely that they stopped at a local internet cafe to log onto a computer to learn the language. Therefore the Decepticons have the same technology and Megatron likely was able to access computer information either while frozen or as soon as he began to thaw.

To clarify;

Optimus Prime is the Autobot who crash lands in the field, and quickly runs off. He is the last one to be seen scanning a vehicle for his alternate mode as he becomes a Peterbilt semi truck, which passes by him as he stands on that hill by the road.

Ratchet is the Autobot who crashes into the building with the neon "TV" sign on it. It makes sense that this one is Ratchet, as there are several emergency vehicles around and he could have easily scanned one of them. i.e. The search and rescue/fire department Hummer H2, he becomes.

Jazz is the Autobot who lands in the baseball stadium near the Casa De Cadillac car dealership, which he later climbs off the roof of and scans a Pontiac Solstice on display in the showroom.

Ironhide is the Autobot who lands in the pool, in that family's backyard. (To clear that up, once and for all.) He scans a GMC Topkick pick-up truck, that most likely belongs to the family in question.

Yes. Not only is it a reference to Michael Bay, but if you look carefully on the front, you'll see that It's a GMC, standing for Grabowski Motor Corporation, a division of General Motors. With the exception of Optimus Prime, all of the Autobots are General Motors vehicles (Chevy, Pontiac, Hummer, & GMC).

Also, late in 2007, Hasbro released several toys that weren't featured in the movie, and the tow truck is one of them. He is indeed an Autobot, and his name is Longarm.

This can be any number of answers. As you can see throughout the film, the number on the top of the Decepticon Barricade, is 643. One conclusion is that it's the number of Transformers in the film (6+4+3=13 : 5 Autobots, 8 Decepticons).

Transformers is now available on Blu-Ray high-definition. Here is what Paramount has released about the features so far: *Commentary by Director Michael Bay *Featurette: OUR WORLD *Featurette: The Story Sparks HD *Featurette: Human Allies HD *Featurette: I Fight Giant Robots HD *Featurette: Battleground HD *Featurette: THEIR WAR *Featurette: Rise of the Robots HD *Featurette: Autobots Roll Out HD *Featurette: Decepticons Strike HD *Featurette: Inside the AllSpark HD *Featurette: Transformers Tech Inspector (TBD) HD *Trailers: TRAILERS (will play after the feature via a menu): *Trailers: Iron Man Trailer HD *Featurette: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE *Trailers: Transformers Teaser Trailer HD *Trailers: Rise of the Autobots HD *Other: Transformers H.U.D. (Heads Up Display) *Other: BD-Live Features (TBD) *Featurette: From Script to Sand: The Skorponok Desert Attack HD *Featurette: Concepts HD *Trailers: Trailers HD: *Trailers: Teaser Trailer 1 HD *Trailers: Theatrical Trailer 2 HD *Trailers: Theatrical Trailer 4 HD *Easter Eggs: Michael Bay Cameo HD *Easter Eggs: Girl in Dress HD *Easter Eggs: Bay Bot HD *Easter Eggs: Casting Mojo HD. It also includes a $10 mail-in rebate for people who already own Transformers on standard-definition DVD.

Yes, see Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. A third film is also anticipated as Dreamworks greenlit two more films on May 30, 2007. So far, Shia LaBeouf (Sam Witwicky), Megan Fox (Mikaela Banes) and Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime) have signed on for both sequels. Director Michael Bay and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have signed on for the first sequel while Ehren Kruger has been brought in to help Orci and Kurtzman. The script wasn't finished before the 2007 WGA strike however filming began in June 2008.

Yes, but the type of radiation given off by their bodies causes minimal, if any, harm to humans. It would cause less trouble than a typical sunburn would.

The F-22 is a faster, more modern fighter then the F-15, making it a logical choice. Also, I don't think there are any F-15s left in service, so it would be obvious if this old, out-dated jet was flying around a battlefield with giant transformering robots that something is wrong.

AUTOBOTS Prowl, Wheeljack and Arcee were in the original line up along with Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Ratchet and Jazz. Prowl was featured in the script, but as the writers loved the subversiveness of a Decepticon police car (which became Barricade), he was removed in favor of him. Arcee was initially set to be in the 2007 film, but due to negative fan reaction and to the fact that there was not enough time in the movie to explain the presence of a "female" in a robotic race, she was dropped from the script and replaced with Ironhide. It is unknown why Wheeljack was dropped from the film. Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod were also considered for the 2007 movie.

DECEPTICONS Soundwave, Ravage, Laserbeak, Rumble, Skywarp, Wreckage and Shockwave were in the original line up along with Megatron, Starscream, Barricade, Blackout, Bonecrusher, Brawl, Scorponok and Frenzy. Soundwave was set to appear as a helicopter in the movie, but the helicopter's with the eventual helicopter character rechristened as Vortex, then finally Blackout. Soundwave was considered as a spying boombox on Air Force One, able to transform into a small robot, but eventually, this character was amended to being Frenzy, with Don Murphy stating that Soundwave will be reserved for a future sequel, until they can "do him right". A character named Wreckage, with a M1126 Stryker ICV as his alt mode, had been designed, but eventually didn't get used in the movie, writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman included the character in one of their drafts of the script, and concept art was even created for it. It is uknown why Shockwave, Ravage, Rumble, Laserbeak and Skywarp were dropped but Shockwave does appear in the videogame and Laserbeak was featured in the Sector Seven viral marketing web site featured several videos recording supposed evidence of Transformers on Earth. Director Michael Bay also considered a character turning into an aircraft carrier (Tidal Wave), which was dropped for cost reasons.

The cancelled characters from this movie that are featured in the sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen are Arcee, Soundwave and Ravage.